Gabriel Rosado says David Morrell has wakened “the beast” in WBC interim light heavyweight champion David Benavidez with his constant insults of him in the build-up to their fight this Saturday, February 1st, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Rosado feels that Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is going to be attacking Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs), looking to overwhelm him with punches to score a knockout in their 12-round main event clash on PBC on Prime Video PPV.
Benavidez isn’t accustomed to being old and being a limited “Robocop” fighter by his opponents, but the more technically talented Cuban Morrell is surprised by how basic he is as a fighter. He’s by with his size and volume all these years, fighting at 168, and now he’s finally stepping up for the first time against a real credible threat, in David Morrell.
It’s late in the game for the 12-year professional Benavidez, who is taking his first test, and he may fall apart on Saturday night.
A “Different Kind of Beast”
“I favor Benavidez. I’ve known him for years now. I favor Benavidez, but you can’t sleep on Morrell. This is a fight that Benavidez didn’t even have to take this fight. Morrell was the one that needs this fight,” said Gabe Rosado to Fight Hub TV, arguing that WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell needs this fight against interim WBC 175-lb champion David Benavidez.
“Morrell is in a situation where he hit the jackpot. So, if he can in this fight, he’s there because nobody was really calling Morrell out. So, that shows what kind of dog Benavidez is. He said, ‘Come on, let’s go. Let’s run it,” said Rosado, failing to point out that Benavidez showed no interest in fighting Morrell for two years after being first called out by him in 2022.
“I think he’s waking up a different kind of beast in Benavidez because no one really acts like that with Benavidez,” said Gabe about Morrell trash-talking him, questioning his courage repeatedly and saying he can’t punch.
WBA ‘regular’ 175-lb champion Morrell hasn’t hit the jackpot by getting this fight, as he’s the belt-holder in this fight, not Benavidez. If Morrell were a belt-less contender, then you could argue that he’s “hit the jackpot,” but that’s not the case. Benavidez is the needy one here.
“It’s going to be a firefight. They’re both going to clash, and it’s going to be a matter of who can take it because they’re both going to land shots. I think Morrell is the bigger puncher of the two, but Benavidez gets you out with the volume. So, what’s going to win?” said Rosado.
This might not be a pure firefight like the one that Rosado envisions because there’s going to be movement from Morrell, who is from the Cuban school of fighting. They standstill like the fighters that Benavidez fought through the first 11 years of his career. The Cubans possess actual ring IQ, and they’re not going to stand in front of fighters who are known for their high volume, like Benavidez.
Power vs. Volume
“Is it going to be power, or is it going to be volume? That’s what it’s going to come down to, because I don’t think Morrell is going to be able to match Benavidez’s volume. He’s punching constantly on top of you, and he don’t get tired,” said Rosado.
In ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez’s fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, he got plenty tired last June, and he looked exhausted from the eighth round. The extra weight that Benavidez is carrying now that he’s fighting at 175 caught up to him.
Moreover, the shots that he’s getting hit with at light heavyweight are a lot harder than they were when he was campaigning at 168 against the likes of David Lemieux, Anthony Dirrell, Demetrius Andrade, and Caleb Plant. He didn’t like the power he tasted in his debut at 175 against Gvozdyk.
Benavidez’s volume attacks only work against stationary fighters. Fighters like William Zepeda and Benavidez, who depend on volume to win, are neutralized by fighters that move and potshot.
That’s why Zepeda had so many problems against Tevin Farmer, and it’s why Benavidez will struggle to get his thots off against Morrell. He’ll be forced into a long game, throwing single shots, and that’s not Benavidez’s forte.
“So, Morrell is definitely going to have to set traps and land some big shots in that fight,” said Rosado.
Robocop Style Risky
Morrell will probably box, move, and nail Benavidez with huge shots all night. Benavidez will be talking into many of the punches with his Robocop style of attacking, and that’s going to make Morrell’s already formidable power even more devasting.
If you’re Benavidez, it would be wiser for him to put that style on the shelf permanently because it will get him knocked out by Morrell, Artur Beterbiev, Joshua Buatsi, and Dmitry Bivol.
Benavidez got away with that primitive approach due to the many years he fought at 168 against the limited opposition he fought. He can’t do that at 175 without ending up in Palookville in a year or two, if he even lasts that long. Benavidez can’t keep getting hit like he did in his debut at light heavyweight against Gvozdyk without being an over-the-hill fighter soon.
‘The Mexican Monster’ has already had a long twelve-year pro career, and the injuries that are starting to pile up indicate that, physically, he’s beginning to break down like most fighters who have been in the game that long.
In chronological terms, Benavidez is young at 28, but the punishment he’s taken to the head is the same as any fighter who has been in the sport for over a decade. It’s even worse with Benavidez because he fights aggressively, brawling.
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